1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to police equipment, more particularly, to outer carrier wearing of soft body armor, law enforcement duty belts and methods for suspending them.
2. Description of the Related Art
Standard equipment for peace officers includes the wearing of an undershirt or turtleneck, a ballistic soft body armor vest, and a police uniform shirt over the vest. The body armor vest includes a carrier, two armor panels, and attachable/detachable fasteners, typically hook and loop fasteners. One armor panel fits into a front carrier through an opening in the bottom of the front carrier and the other armor panel fits into a rear carrier through an opening in the bottom of the rear carrier. The attachable/detachable fasteners attach the front and rear carriers together around the wearer's waist and over the shoulders to form the vest.
The body armor vest traps excess body heat around the torso in warm weather and is uncomfortable due to the constant compression and weight of the armor. It is also very inconvenient to remove the body armor carrier prior to the conclusion of the wearer's shift. For this reason there has been a move towards the wearing of outer carrier ballistic vests.
Most outer carrier vests are made from heavy-duty nylon or polyester materials and are fitted to a particular brand of soft body armor panels. The panels are removed from the front and rear carriers and inserted into the bottom of the carrier vest. The carrier vest has attachable/detachable, typically hook and loop, fasteners at the sides for adjustment and removal. Use of the carrier vest's fasteners rather than those supplied by the manufacturer with the body armor panels may void the armor warranty. The carrier vests are made to somewhat match the look of a uniform shirt on the outside and are typically worn over a police shirt. The carrier vest is independent from the duty belt and sits above it on the torso.
An officer wears a duty belt on his or her waist, which supports heavy gear such as a pistol, cartridges, radio, less than lethal weapons, handcuffs, flashlight, defensive spray, and baton. The weight of the duty belt and the gear supported thereon, which can exceed 25 pounds, is carried on the hips, waist, and lower back of the officer. After years of wear, many officers experience severe back problems as a result of wearing the heavy duty belt.
Current solutions transfer some of the weight of the belt and equipment to the shoulders, removing it from the hips and low back. One solution is the use of suspenders to support the duty belt. However, suspenders detract from the appearance of the officer's uniform. Also, they can be grabbed and held by a person to gain an unfair leverage or advantage over the officer during the fight or scuffle. In an extreme case they could be used to strangle the officer.
Another solution is to store equipment on the outer carrier vest. However, this detracts from the appearance of the uniform since most outer carrier vests make poor-looking shirts. It is also so obvious that the officer is wearing an outer carrier vest that criminals have been known to aim for the groin or head when assaulting an officer.
Also, when equipment is stored on the carrier vest, the vest cannot be removed without making provisions for storing the equipment. In a scuffle, the vest can come apart at the waist, allowing the combatant to easily remove equipment from the free hanging carrier vest. The equipment on the carrier vest may also interfere with the proper use of seatbelts in the patrol car and any equipment worn on a carrier vest could be impacted by the vehicle's airbag in a crash.
Yet another solution is to store equipment on a harness worn over the uniform shirt. Again, the harness detracts from the appearance of the uniform and can be grabbed and held by a person to gain an unfair leverage or advantage over the officer during the fight or scuffle. If the harness attaches with hook and loop fasteners, it can also be removed relatively easily from the officer in a fight.